The biggest issue of contention that surrounds the LG Nexus 5 (2015) is the processor that it will use.

Annoyingly, LG’s Nexus smartphone has been tipped with four different mobile chips. Ugh.

The first chip tipped to be included is the Snapdragon 810, which is Qualcomm’s current flagship offering.

It’s appeared on a number of high-end devices this year, although it’s as controversial a processor as they come.

That’s because the 810 has been plagued by complaints of overheating since the off, and Qualcomm has struggled to shake off that fiery reputation.

If the LG Nexus 5 is positioned as a high-end chip, the 810 is the most likely candidate to appear, but it could turn off savvy consumers that have already heard the complaints levelled at Qualcomm over the chip.

Then there’s the Snapdragon 808, a minor step-down from the 810 in terms of performance.

That also means it won’t melt the back of your handset because the processor got too toasty either, so that’s a plus.

It’s that sort of thinking that led LG to use the 808 in its flagship LG G4, so it wouldn’t be entirely implausible for the firm to offer the chip once again with the LG Nexus 5.

The third chip rumoured to appear – courtesy of prolific leaker Evan Blass – is the Snapdragon 820.

Qualcomm only just officially confirmed the 820’s existence, revealing it to be the forthcoming top-end chip in the US company’s line-up.

Unfortunately, we’re not expecting the chip to land on devices until late 2015 or early 2016.

That means there’s a very slim chance we’ll see the 820 on an October-launching smartphone like the Nexus 5.

Lastly, and actually sort of least, is the Snapdragon 620, which is one of Qualcomm’s upper mid-range chips.

It’s the sort of component that you’d expect to see on premium mid-rangers like Samsung’s Galaxy A-series, which gives you a clue as to the price point Google might position the Nexus 5 at.

Neither LG nor Google has officially confirmed the chip that is set to feature on the new Nexus 5, so we’re resigned to speculation for now.

Other rumoured specs include 4GB of memory, 64GB of internal storage (that’s pretty big, especially for a potential mid-ranger), and a battery that will offer a capacity of 3,500mAh, 3,180mAh, or 2,700mAh, depending on who you listen to.

We should also note that a separate report, this time via Androidworld.it, suggests the Nexus 5X will feature 2GB of RAM, not 4GB of RAM.

We'd find that very odd, particularly as most modern Android flagships ship with 3GB of RAM on board.

In fairness, Android Pay is actually a revamp of Google’s existing mobile payments service that’s been kicking around in the US since 2010.

It’s going to work just like Apple Pay in that you walk into a store, slap your smartphone on a payment terminal, and walk out with new goods in hand and a slightly emptier bank account.

Android 6.0 will also be bringing Google Now on Tap, which is a context-driven upgrade for Android’s digital assistant.

For instance, if you’re watching a video, you can hold down the home button and get information about a person in the video. Similarly, if someone mentions a restaurant in a text, you can use it to get information about the restaurant.

You’ll also be able to say “OK Google” to access Google Now from anywhere in the Android OS, finally.

App permissions are getting smarter too. You won’t be forced to sign up to a load of developer demands when first using an app anymore. Instead, you’ll be asked to accept particular permission requests when you want to use a relevant feature.

Other features include standardised support for fingerprint scanners, battery life improvements, and simplifications to some of the controls.

The one thing that won’t really change is the aesthetics of Android. Google made some big changes with Android 5.0 Lollipop a la “material design”, and that flat design looks set to stick around in Marshmallow too.

Jamie R. Bedford

August 18, 2015, 11:49 pm

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